Rising Sun
by stillhavemyheart
Summary: Set ten years after the end of Breaking Dawn, The Cullens relocate to Astoria, Oregon where Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, Alice, Bella, Edward, Jacob, and Renesmee - now fully grown at 16 - will attend high school. Rated M just in case.
1. Stilettos and Silk

"_Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs. Being purged, a fire sparkling in lovers eyes. Being vexed, a sea nourished with lovers tears. What is it else? A madness most discreet, a choking gall and a preserving sweet."_

-William Shakespeare

**Chapter One - Stilettos and Silk**

Bella's Point of View

* * *

I've always wondered what I did to deserve the life I've come to possess. As a human I'd never been particularly extraordinary, and most certainly not worthy of the good fortunes life had dealt me. Not that I haven't experienced pain - for all the love that colors my world now, there was exceptional pain in my past, however it is now overshadowed, only a faint memory from my human life nearly ten years ago, blurry around the edges, and all of it combined not even close to enough to override the good things that had happened in my life so far.

A hand brushed the curve of my cheek bone, fingers I knew to be cold yet felt sun-kissed and warm against my own freezing skin, a perfectly shaped set of honey-colored irises gazing intently on mine. Years, decades, centuries, _millenniums_ wouldn't be enough time for me to get used to Edward's exceptional beauty, the exact perfection of his every feature. His lips replaced his fingers, pressing soft kisses along my jawline to the corner of my lips, hovering momentarily before kissing me gently.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to the frustration of not knowing exactly what you're thinking. Your facial expressions are so fascinating."

In my past, pre-vampire life, the proximity of his lips and a comment like this would have filled my cheeks with a dark blush, sent my heart racing erratically, and frenzied my breathing. But now my heart remained silent, my cheeks didn't fill, and the only thing to tip Edward off was the sudden irregularity of my breaths, merely a habit as I could easily go without oxygen.

"Trust me, you wouldn't want to know what I'm thinking most of the time," I replied teasingly, lips parting in a smile. In truth, he took up most of my thoughts, the center of my universe and being. And while I knew he understood how completely I loved him, and I knew he loved me almost as much - we always argued about this - in return… he didn't need to know quite often he filled my head. Or how undignified the thoughts that filled my head regarding him usually were.

"If only you knew how untrue that really was," he replied with a sigh, the sincerity of his statement obvious in the way he looked at me. "And, you didn't answer my question."

I hesitated for a moment, careful to keep my expression smooth and controlled. I wasn't nearly as good at it as he was, and his thorough observation made it hard to let anything slip by him. "I was just sort of… thinking about how everything has turned out so perfectly. More perfectly then I could have ever imagined. And that I love you."

"You're editing," he replied, only the slightest hint of accusation in his velvet voice.

"A little, but only because, like I said, if you knew the extent of my thoughts most of the time you'd have me committed."

He rolled his eyes in response, surrendering the argument for now. "You are so utterly, _unbelievably _wrong. What am I going to _do_ with you?"

"You could kiss me more. I think it's been a full fifteen minutes since you last properly kissed me, Edward. I could forget what it's like…" I turned to him with pouted lips, my fingers gently entwining with his, two puzzle pieces fitting perfectly together.

His lips hovered centimeters from mine, smug. "I doubt it. Vampires are known for having quite exceptional memories, you know." He leaned closer, razor sharp teeth gentle as he tugged lightly on my lower lip.

"Normally, yeah, but your presence kind of makes it hard to think properly."

"Since when have I expected you to be normal?" he continued to tease, refusing to give in just yet; he was having too much fun. Two could play at that game.

I untangled my fingers from his, trailing them up his marble arms, brushing across his collar bones before gripping the collar of his white button down shirt and pulling him to me.

Kissing Edward was another thing I would never get used to, and even better now that he didn't have to worry about his vampiric instincts overwhelming his incredible control, leaving me drained of blood and dead in seconds. His lips crushed against mine, unrestrained, hands weaving through my brunette hair, his body pressed so entirely against mine. A ripple of electricity circulated through both our veins, my hands pulling apart his shirt in lightening speed, the buttons popping off and scattering across the floor…

He tensed and suddenly I was kissing marble, reminiscent of how he would have acted in this situation were I still human, confusion replacing the rejection I would have felt from this response in the past.

I listened then, tuning out the car stereos, heart beats, sentences, minor nuances that were miles away but clear as a bell and filled my ear the moment I stopped paying attention to Edward. Shutting all of that out, I focused in on the sound of small feet dancing through the forest, my nose recognizing the familiar lavender and vanilla smell instantaneously...and I instantly understood his strange reaction.

"Bella!" a sing-song soprano voice trilled from the front door, eliciting a groan from Edward.

"Go away," he replied without moving, leaning in to resume kissing me where we had left off.

"Oh come _on_, you had all night and million more to follow for that. It's Bella's first day of high school… as a vampire, anyway. You can't be late for school, it makes a bad impression. Plus, she promised I could pick out her outfit..." she examined the bedroom, the remains of Edward's shirt on the ground knitting her eyebrows in a pained expression. "That was a good shirt!"

"It died for a good cause," he replied smugly, Alice's liquid amber eyes rolling in response. Excessive eye rolling seemed to be a common response among all the Cullens, Carlisle and Esme aside.

He hissed as she grabbed my hand and tugged me towards the foreboding closet she had designed for me, perfectly content to ignore him. She worked quickly, grabbing items off the shelves, unzipping white garment bags, ransacking drawers, tossing items to me without looking, face determined and concentrated. Edward slipped past her, selecting his own pair of jeans and a charcoal grey sweater from the single rack that belonged to him, flashing me an apologetic smile.

"I don't know how Jasper tolerates this everyday," I sighed, eyeing the designer garments draped over my arm. It was something I had been reluctant to get used to, their obvious disregard for money. I eyed the hidden pile of clothes Edward and I had retrieved from my old bedroom at Charlie's longingly. Alice wasn't backing down, however.

"It's really quite simple, he loves me. Are you saying you don't?" she replied innocently, backing me into a corner. I merely glared in response, changing quickly into the cap-sleeved, navy blue silk dress, but drawing the line at the 4 inch stiletto heels.

"But _Bella_, they complete - "

"No stilettos."

"They're Manolo's, I don't see how you haven't worn them yet,"

"No. Stil. Et. O's," I repeated, placing extra emphasis on each syllable. In the next room, Edward chuckled softly.

"Fine!" she replied exasperatedly, tossing me a pair of less scary shoes. The smell of leather and metal hit me. "Wear the Chanel flats then. And you should probably wear a coat as well, to stay inconspicuous, considering most the humans will be." Another item was thrown at me, this time wool and check lining filling my senses; Burberry. I pulled the black cotton tights over my ivory legs before slipping my feet into the ballet flats, eyeing them suspiciously. While I was hardly an expert on designer brands, the few times Alice had dragged me shopping with were enough to tell me these had cost at _least_ $1000. Tights and coats were hardly necessary - I could have gone outside in a bathing suit in the dead of winter and been perfectly comfortable, but dressing warmly was all part of the act. I felt bulky in so many clothes, and was thankful that I wouldn't actually have to put on the coat until we were at school.

A hand gripped my waist from behind, lips brushing the skin at the base of my neck. "That color blue on you…" Edward began, twirling me around to face him. "Is absolutely-"

"Yes, yes, she looks amazing. We're going to be late. You're hardly setting a very good example for your daughter, you know," Alice teased impatiently, already racing towards the main house, an almost exact replica of the Cullens house in Forks, just located in Astoria, Oregon instead.

"So small, and still so annoying," Edward muttered softly, although I knew halfway to the main house she would still hear his retort perfectly well.

The mention of Renesmee had done exactly what Alice had expected it would do; motivated us to head towards the house. The forest floor sunk below our feet as we ran through the trees, each leaf sharp and clear with our exceptional eyes. The idea that I had once _worried_ Edward could possibly hit trees while running was an absolute joke now that I could see as well he did. Besides, any tree he collided with would have turned to sawdust while leaving him without so much as a scratch.

"About time," Jacob teased, his muscular arm wrapped protectively around Renesmee's shoulders.

"Cottage still standing?" Emmett boomed from the couch, Edward's eyes rolling in response. Ignoring him, I took in the many faces before me, Rosalie's soft blonde hair framing her striking face, so beautiful it was unjust, Jasper's wary smile, Alice's beaming grin as she confirmed that I had kept on exactly what she had chosen for me to wear, Esme's gentle beauty, Carlisle's proud smile, Edward's perfection, all ivory skinned with spun gold irises. Two other faces graced my vision, different, but equally as exquisite in their own way. Jacob's russet skin and cropped ebony hair, eyes bright and mouth curved into an adoring grin as he stood beside Renesmee. Her fluttering heart beat and his steadier, more assured beat were perfectly synchronized, and I could almost feel the warmth emanating from both their skin. Renesmee smiled, a faint blush in her cheeks, deep brown eyes wide and illuminated, perfectly coiled bronze ringlets hanging down to her waist. She was dressed in dark-rinse jeans and a white lace blouse, gold locket resting in the hollow of her throat, Jacob's bracelet around her slender wrist. It comforted me that wherever she went, she carried a piece of each of us with her.

Her lips pressed to the Jacob's arm before she slipped from his hold, Edward's posture stiffening beside me. Her rapid growth had halted at 16, leaving her about a year younger than Jacob, although he could easily pass for 20. She sashayed over to us, hugging him first, the look on her face clearly amused as she took in his protective stance, a soft chuckle escaping his lips as he read her thoughts.

"I know, I know. It just takes some getting used to."

Then her arms were around me, face resting against my shoulder, cheek warm against my frozen skin. Her palm pressed to my cheek, filling my head with her anxieties about high school - unlike all of us, Renesmee had never attended school before, all of us taking turns tutoring her until now.

Edward patted her shoulder, my lips pressing to her cheek reassuringly. "It really won't be as difficult as you're assuming, love. You'll make plenty of friends; you won't have to worry about people not liking you." Alice nodded reassuringly, although I knew Renesmee was an exception to her abilities. She winked at me, Renesmee eyeing her suspiciously; she wasn't quite convinced.

"Yeah, I'm sure you'll have _plenty_ of admirers," Emmett smirked, eliciting a hiss from Edward and a growl from Jacob, both of their eyes narrowed in the same murderous glare. Edward straightened up, his expression changing to a smirk. "Remind me later to give you an idea of the fantasies every high school male has about Rosalie, Emmett."

"Only if you want a mass homicide on your conscience, bro," he retorted, still grinning although his grip on Rosalie's waist was noticeably tighter.

Renesmee lifted her palm to my cheek again, more of her anxieties flashing across my vision. "I'm sure you're smarter than most seniors that attend, so you hardly need to worry about that. And about the other thing, you'll have at least one of us in each of your classes, there's nothing to worry about at all. You're not dangerous like us, and we're all practiced in control, so there's really nothing to worry about." I eyed Alice, her thumbs-up the reassurance I needed. Jasper looked mildly irritated, a feeling I knew was attributed to my easy adjustment to a lifestyle he still struggled with over a hundred years later.

When registering as transfer students at Astoria High School, we had divided into age groups and families as was realistic. Like always, Rosalie and Jasper Hale were twins, enrolling as a juniors along with Emmet. Alice, Emmett, Edward, Rensemee and I were to be sophomores and Cullens by adoption. The similarities between Edward and Renesmee - ivory skin, facial features, bronze-colored hair - were too obvious to ignore, and thus we had decided they would make up the second pair of twins in the Cullen family. To anyone not in on the secret, Edward would merely look like an extremely protective brother - no one would even come close to guessing he was her biological father. I had registered Renesmee as Vanessa, consistent with her passport and birth certificate, as Renesmee would have been too strange a name for a small town high school, and Nessie was a realistic nickname for Vanessa. Jacob Black, unable to realistically pass as any of our siblings, was a close friend of the family.

Edward had upgraded Jacob's Volkswagon Rabbit, which he could no longer fit in, with a specially customized Acura MDX, Jacob's complete devotion to protecting Nessie enough to make Edward comfortable with the idea of her driving with him, and being separated from us. With six of us remaining and unable to fit into one car, Emmett and Rosalie drove in her red BMW convertible, and Edward, Alice, Jasper and I took the Volvo.

"Have a wonderful time," Esme called to Renesmee in a voice stilted with proud emotion, betraying the happy tears that would have sparkled against her cheeks were it possible for vampires to cry. Carlisle's arm was draped around Esme's waist as they waved us off from the front door, a picture perfect image of proud parents on their children's first day of school.

I felt a momentary pang of anxiety as Jacob eased his car into reverse, Renesmee's expression elated as she waved to us from the front seat. Jasper, sensing my mood, placed a hand on my shoulder, washing me with calamity. "Relax, Bella," he began patiently, smiling. "She'll be fine. Besides, it's more pertinent that you focus your attention elsewhere. Your thirst, for example."

I hadn't noticed the dull burning until he mentioned it, but I brushed it off and nodded purely for his benefit. I knew I would be fine - Alice had assured me so, and I had faith in my control; in all my time as a young vampire so far, I had not faltered once in my ability to resist the temptation of human blood, something that had astounded all of the Cullens.

"Welcome back to high school," Edward grinned wryly, patting my knee as he parked without so much as a glance out the windshield, perfectly within the lines.


	2. Tennis Rackets and Blonde Jokes

**Chapter Two – Tennis Rackets and Blonde Jokes **

Bella's Point of View

* * *

"Congratulations, you survived English without any casualties," Edward's velvet voice whispered in my ear; I could practically hear the teasing smile in his tone.

"Yup, I wasn't really in the homicidal mood, if you know what I mean," I replied with heavy sarcasm. I was fully aware of the fact that I was the youngest vampire in the Cullen family, but I had proved time and time again I had no trouble controlling my vampire instincts; you'd think they could have a _little_ faith in me.

"I suppose I'll have to reward you later on, then," he grinned, twirling me to face him. As his lips pressed to mine, it was almost impossible not to react as I had this morning, tearing his clothing to pieces. The knowledge that we were standing in the middle of a crowded school hallway just barely registered.

"That sounds nice, I'm hardly one to object to that suggestion." In all honesty, the Cullens had been wrong; controlling blood lust would be a walk in the park in comparison to controlling the urge to kiss Edward every moment we were together. "How'd you fare in World History?"

"Sitting through an hour and a half without you? I barely made it out alive…"

"You're dazzling me, again."

"Again? I wasn't aware I had already dazzled you today," he grinned, taking my hand in his. A thousand different scents and sounds reached my brain, and yet the only thing I could focus in on was Edward's words and his overwhelming smell of honey, lilac, and sun, much more enticing than the smell any high school human's blood might emanate. To see Edward smile so often, no often wrought with worry and fear that he would kill me as he had been when I was human, or stressing over visits from Victoria, the Volturi, my friendship with Jacob… so many things when before had attributed to his anxiety. Gone, he seemed lighter, and he smiled more.

"Every time you kiss me I'm dazzled."

The sentence had barely left my lips before I felt his hands at my waist and lips pressed to mine, the kiss ending before I'd had time to really appreciate it.

"I wasn't done, you know," I frowned, reaching towards him again as he dodged my lips, kissing my cheek instead.

"Nor was I, but it's hardly appropriate for our current surroundings, Bella, as much as I enjoy _proving_ you're mine." There was an edge of gloating in the end of his sentence and I shot him a questioning look in response, arching my eyebrow. I was unwaveringly his forever in every way; jealousy seemed so trite at this point.

"It's hard having to listen to teenage fantasies revolved around you all day," he remarked tersely, squeezing my hand in a grip that would have shattered every bone, ligament, and tendon in any human hand; I barely felt it. "_Especially_ now that I have to put up with hearing them not just about my wife but my _daughter_ too."

"I suppose it's a good thing Jacob can't read the thoughts of anyone besides his pack," I replied sympathetically. Henry Everett, a senior in my English class, winked to me from across the hallway, my answering expression cold. His face crumpled and he hurried towards the cafeteria with much more haste than before, Edward's familiar smirk returning to his face.

"You know, I think you just shattered his ego beyond repair," he replied, not bothering to contain his obvious enjoyment. "Was there a reason for that? I don't think he'll ever recover."

"Yes, it was for your benefit."

It was impossible not to wrinkle my nose as we entered the cafeteria, the overwhelming smell of human food filling my senses immediately, almost overriding the dull ache in the hollow of my throat. Edward chuckled, leading me towards the line, red plastic tray in his free hand.

"The spaghetti looks good today," he offered conversationally, winking at me.

"I prefer something with a little more protein," I replied dryly, barely containing my obvious lack of enthusiasm for the cafeteria food. Acting had never been one of my strong suits, and that hadn't changed with my transformation. It was hard to imagine I had stood in a line just like this almost eleven years ago actually _enjoying_ food like this. A faint memory of Charlie cooking spaghetti, the result disastrous – last I'd checked spaghetti didn't require a steak knife in order to be made into bite-sized pieces – caused a giggle to escape from my lips, the sound musical. Edward arched an eyebrow, but didn't ask.

"Anything else for you?" the cashier was young, in her twenties maybe, and her voice quivered as she addressed Edward.

"No, that's all." His voice was slightly amused, no doubt in response to her thoughts. I clutched his hand tighter, creating less space between us; suddenly jealousy didn't seem _quite_ so unreasonable with the situation reversed. He handed her a twenty, smiling politely as he refused his change and lead me across the cafeteria.

As was habit, the Cullen's had claimed the farthest table, the humans nearby giving them a wide berth, a subconscious fear instinctually keeping them away. Four figures I expected sat behind their untouched red trays of food, engaged in various activities. There were two new additions to the Cullen table, however, completing the circle.

"Ugh, but I'm not _hungry_," Renesmee pouted, crossing her arms at Jacob. "Not for _this_, anyway." Unperturbed, he continued to hold the forkful of spaghetti towards her face, amused patience in his chocolate eyes.

"I'll take you hunting today, but _only_ if you eat some lunch. You're hungry, don't even try to deny it."

Renesmee's half-immortal, half-mortal status made her diet tricky; unlike vampires, she could digest and gain nutrition from human food, although she preferred blood. As a child, she had been allowed to drink the bags of O negative blood Carlisle brought home from the hospital. As she matured, however, we had decided that it would be more prudent for her to follow the same 'vegetarian' lifestyle the rest of us did.

"Hi Mom - I mean Bella," Renesmee greeted me, cheeks flushing crimson at the

mistake. Laughter twittered around the table, a mixture of soprano, alto, tenor, and bass notes.

"Smooth, Ness," Jacob grinned, seizing the opportunity of her momentary distraction to shove a bite full of spaghetti into her mouth. She shot him a look, but chewed unenthusiastically, making a show of slowly swallowing the food down, as if it were pure torture.

"At least she inherited Edward's acting skills," Alice teased lightly, eliciting a booming laugh from Emmett. Several people looked warily our way from their various tables

"_Everyone_ likes Nessie, I told her she had nothing to worry about," Jacob grinned, selecting various food items from our untouched trays. Ever since his transformation began, Jacob's appetite had increased tenfold, not a problem when you sat at a lunch table with six people who didn't eat anything off of their trays. A wry smile touched Edward's lips for a moment before he composed his features again, reminding me of what he would have been hearing all day.

It was natural that people would gravitate towards Renesmee, they always had. Unlike us, even humans were won over by her charm, and it didn't hurt that she was breathtakingly beautiful, or anything. Her warmth, slightly darker skin, and chocolate eyes gave her a more human look than the rest of us.

"What's next on your schedule, love?"

I turned to Edward, his familiar crooked smile tugging at my frozen heart strings. I swept a glance at the folded paper, groaning from habit. "PE," I replied, obvious dread in my tone.

Alice, Emmett, Edward, and Jasper, assessing my sudden change in mood, all laughed, even Rosalie chuckling softly.

"Bella, it's hardly going to be a problem for you anymore," she replied almost kindly, twirling her fork idly between her slender fingers.

"Yeah, you won't have to worry about injuring people with your lack of skill any more, just maiming them _with_ your skill," Emmett grinned delightedly, punching Edward in the shoulder. Emmett had never quite gotten over me beating him at arm wrestling; the idea that I would struggle extremely in P.E. was comforting for him.

Even in P.E. uniform, Edward was pure perfection, looking more like a model in an advertisement for sportswear than a 17 year old in a high school P.E. class. The hint of his perfectly sculpted muscles was visible beneath the loosely fitting grey t-shirt, bands of muscle apparent in his toned arms.

"Just stay at my pace, okay? We're running today. Remember to fidget and such while he takes attendance, and lose your breath a little after running, maybe pretend to get a drink of water…" he was worrying again.

It went against all instinct to run slowly; I could feel the pressure in my heels, the arches of my feet, the desire to really push into the ground and _run_. And yet, at our slow crawl, we were already outrunning the class by several yards; any faster would have been much too suspicious.

"This is so _dull_," I sighed, jogging along beside him, our feet hitting the ground in the same synchronized rhythm.

"I told you so, the only horror P.E. holds for you now is an hour and a half of pure boredom. Although I have to say, I rest easier knowing you're not in constant danger of annihilation by tennis racket."

"At least I have you to stare at. You manage to make even a drab P.E. uniform look good."

"I, and any other male in this class, could happily attest that that goes both ways. Although, I'm not sure how happy they'd be afterwards…" he winked at me, sending my still heart into an imaginary frenzy.

The rest of the day dragged slowly, advanced algebra and biology uneventful. Edward met me at the end of every class we didn't share together, and so I passed the time counting the minutes until we were reunited, ignoring the wads of paper Emmett launched at the side of my head with perfect aim throughout the entire lecture.

History, my last class of the day, was dragging by slowly, my only source of entertainment the elegantly scripted notes Alice was passing me under the table, each one matching human historical events with the vampire history that matched the time period.

"…and in the early 19th century, the Tuberculosis pandemic in Europe killed nearly one-fourth of the European adult population…"

I read the note Alice passed my way, shuddering just slightly at her one-word response; _Vampires_.

That evening I finished my homework in a hurry, wishing not to waste any time on trivial assignments. Although Edward constantly, kindly reminded me we had forever, I rushed through the moments spent away from him, and underneath his confident mask, I knew he did the same.

"Bella," Jacob's voice was exasperated, his eyes wide at the lightening speed of my hands as I scripted answers in perfect calligraphy. "It's not like you have to rush, _you_ have all night."

"I'm not interested in wasting it on homework, I have… better things to do…" the suggestion obvious in my voice. Jacob wrinkled his nose as various chuckles were heard around the room, all upstaged by Emmett's booming laughter from upstairs.

"Over-share, _Mom_," he replied innocently, smirking as I rolled my eyes at him. It was strange to think that a part of me had once been in love with Jacob Black. And while it went against instinct to be particularly enthusiastic about my daughter, my everything, having a boyfriend… I couldn't think of anyone better suited. At least I knew Jacob would love her forever, was one hundred percent devoted to loving and protecting her. The pairing had meant that I'd been able to keep Jacob in my life even after I'd become a vampire, and held the treaty between the Cullens and Quileute's.

Renesmee sat beside him, cross-legged in the antique dining room chair, going over Jacob's geometry homework with him. His transformation at 15 had halted his education, Victoria's vendetta and the Volturi battle prolonging his return to school, imprinting on Renesmee making it impossible to leave her side. There were large gaps in his education the rest of us didn't share, and because of this, school wasn't quite as easy for Jacob. Thankfully, he had more than enough tutors at his hand, although Renesmee was his obvious favorite.

I could feel the warmth of her smile from across the table as she tucked a bronze curl behind her ear, gently taking the pencil from Jacob's hand and erasing what he had just written. "No, you're making it to complicated. It's just area = altitude times base 1 plus base 2, divided by 2. So if base 1 is 16, base 2 is 10, and the altitude is 8 that means…"

"104!" he interrupted her, clearly proud of himself.

"Exactly!" she clapped her small hands together, pressing a kiss to his cheek, his wolfish grin spreading easily across his face.

"Dinner time for the humans," Rosalie called, making a show of wrinkling her nose as she placed two plates on the tables, Renesmee's steak cooked intentionally very rare.

Jacob scoffed. "Humans? I'm offended."

"Okay, let me rephrase. Dinner for the _dog_ and the half-human,"

"Hey blondie, why do blondes always smile in a lightening storm?"

Rosalie ignored him, tidying the stacks of books into neat piles on the table.

"Because they think their picture is being taken!"

She rolled her eyes again, although I caught the hint of a very brief, light smile on her lips, Jacob's tone more teasing than malicious. It seemed, despite their incredibly rocky, almost deadly start, Rosalie and Jacob had united over a common interest; Renesmee's happiness, and while they would never be close, they had grown to tolerate each other. Maybe even show a shred of respect for one another, although I doubted either would admit to that. Some rivalries were just too ingrained.

The trill of piano keys filled the room, the intricate harmonies weaving seamlessly into Esme's favorite; I heard her approval behind me as she sighed in appreciation. Noiselessly excusing myself from the table, I joined Edward on the mahogany piano bench, resting my head against his shoulder. His lips touched my forehead in greeting, fingers continuing fluidly along the ivory keys.

Renesmee was beside us then, kissing each of our cheeks before retiring to sleep, Jacob close behind her. Edward's posture stiffened as he transitioned into Renesmee's lullaby, the sweet notes filling the house.

"In case you've forgotten, _you_ used to spend every night with me, as well," I reminded him subtly, tracing geometric patterns along his marble arm with my fingers. "I trust her."

"Entirely different."

"Not so much."

"Yes, the only reason I didn't act on my more… improper desires was solely because there was a danger of killing you. There's nothing like that stopping—"

"Again, Edward, I trust her. And him. Give them a little credit."

His lips thinned, but he let his posture relax slightly, the melody continuing. Part of me couldn't help but feel elated at the conversation we were having, solely because the idea of us ever having a child prior to 10 years ago had been absolutely impossible. I hadn't even allowed myself to imagine such, however tempting the fantasies of Edward as a father had been. And yet, even the impossible had happened.


End file.
